Kuwait appeal court upholds death sentences for three Iranians in drug case

Kuwait appeal court upholds death sentences for three Iranians in drug case

Kuwait’s Court of Appeal has upheld death sentences handed to three Iranian nationals convicted of attempting to smuggle large quantities of drugs into the country, local media reported.

The ruling confirmed an earlier verdict by the Criminal Court, which found the three men guilty of trying to traffic more than 120 kilograms of hashish and 10,000 psychotropic pills.

Authorities said the suspects were intercepted by Coast Guard forces near Kubbar Island following coordination with the General Directorate for Drug Control, after intelligence indicated they were transporting the drugs by boat.

Investigations revealed the men had planned to drop the shipment at a designated location near the island. During questioning, the defendants reportedly admitted they were to receive 10,000 Kuwaiti dinars each for the operation after coordinating with another individual.

According to case findings and the defendants’ statements, the group travelled by boat toward Kuwaiti waters carrying illegal drugs. Coast Guard patrols intercepted the vessel shortly after it entered territorial waters and ordered it to stop.

Security forces had earlier seized the boat, confiscated the narcotics on board and arrested the suspects at the scene.

Kuwait’s recently amended anti-narcotics law provides for severe penalties, including capital punishment for large-scale drug smuggling and trafficking, as authorities step up enforcement to deter organised cross-border drug networks.

The smuggling attempt was foiled in a coordinated operation, leading to their arrest and the seizure of the narcotics.

The appeal court’s decision reinforces Kuwait’s strict stance against drug trafficking offences.

Kuwait retains the death penalty, primarily for premeditated murder, with hanging as the standard method for civilian executions (shooting permitted in some cases). After a de facto moratorium from 2017 to early 2022, the country resumed executions in November 2022 with seven hangings.

These have mostly involved murder convictions, though some drug trafficking cases have also resulted in executions; exact annual totals vary slightly by source due to limited official transparency, but the pace has accelerated since the 2022 resumption.

Source: gulfnews.com, Khitam Al Amir; DPN, April 30, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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